Francois Chocolate Bar

I miss the old, wood-panelled Payard on Lexington Avenue; the new one, way up on the fourth floor of a Parisian jewelry store, is much smaller and quieter, with a fraction of the old menu. However, another location will open on Houston Street in a couple months, and I'm sure it will be packed with both goodies and people (like me).

One treat I never glimpsed at the old Payard is the verrine, which I highly recommend. This refreshing summer parfait comes in several variations - the strawberry tiramisu contains vanilla pound cake, strawberries that have been roasted for four hours, mascarpone and candied fennel, while a Japanese-influenced verrine features a layer of tart yuzu cream. This being Payard, of course there's also an all-chocolate verrine.

Other menu items feature signature pastries, hot and cold chocolate drinks, macarons, pound cake and cookies, and a selection of chocolate bouchons. You can still order those wonderful chewy flourless chocolate walnut cookies; now there's a flourless milk chocolate cake with candied orange and hazelnuts.

Even though it was so warm out, I ordered a hot dark chocolate with orange blossom and raspberry. The fruit rescued it from being too rich, and I easily drained the whole cup.

Francois Chocolate Bar @ Mauboussin: 714 Madison Ave., (212) 759-1600.